Wire Sizes

[Piker20 0]

I have found the bead sizing table really useful and wondered if there is a similar one for wire sizes to hook size? Preferably one that lists wire as xsmall small med large as I don't have the dia on spools.

[whatfly 0]

Sure, try: http://www.swtu.org/pdfs/fly_tying/Wapsi-Wire-Sizes.pdf

[Piker20 0]

Cheers for that Whatfly. Do I just use those dia the same as the bead size now for my hook guide?

[buggybob 0]

The wire size you use for nymphs should relate to the pattern you are tying. You don't want to use wire that would hide the body, but the other side of that is that you don't want the ribbing wire to dissapear in the body. Use what looks good on the fly.

 

In general I would use x-small on 16 and under, small on 12 to 16, and brassie or medium on anything larger unless you want the ribbing to be extremely dominant and not worry about the color of the body showing through then bump up the diameter to large.

 

Some things in fly tying don't have hard and fast rules.

[whatfly 0]

Yup, agree with Bubbybob, it depends. Just as with beads you sometimes use different sizes for different sizes on different hooks, so too with wire. I typically like understated ribs, so for Uniwire, I use x-small a lot more than small. For trout, I've never bothered using anything larger than brassie, and I only use medium on steelhead flies. If I were forced to set up a rule of thumb, I guess it would be: x-small for 18 or smaller and dries; small for 16-14; brassie for 12-10, and medium for anything larger UNLESS it is just for reinforcement (e.g. woolly bugger) and then I just use small. You need to tie enough so you develop your own scale.

[Piker20 0]

Cheers BuggyBob, agree no set rules just been working on my fly proportions recently.

[flytire 0]

http://flytyingnewandold.blogspot.com/2011/09/ultra-wire-diameters.html

 

LEAD WIRE TO HOOK SIZING CHART

 

Weight: Lead wire, sized appropriately for the hook.

 

.035- hook sizes 4 and bigger

 

.030-hook sizes 6 and 4

 

.025-hook sizes 6 through 10

 

.020-hook sizes 12 and 14

 

.015-hook sizes 14 and 16

 

.010-hook sizes 18 and smaller

[Maverick262 0]

Hello newbie here. 
 

is the lead wire sizes ..015, .020, .025, .035 

the same size chart that 

UTC ultra wire is.  I saw a chart that says the following size wire XS .11

,SM, .16

BR . 20

 MED .33

 

if this is so can this be substituted for the lead wire ?  
 

thank you. 

[Sandan 0]

34 minutes ago, Maverick262 said:

Hello newbie here. 
 

.....

 

if this is so can this be substituted for the lead wire ?  
 

thank you. 

Nope. They are completely different types of wire. one for ribbing or bodies, the other for weighting your flies

[flytire 0]

if this is so can this be substituted for the lead wire ? 

yes, copper wire can be used as weight on flies. they just wont be as heavy as flies using lead wire

example 

and in a pinch, lead wire could be used as ribbing on flies and as a body material

when all else fails fly pattern

 

lead wire sizes

http://flytyingnewandold.blogspot.com/2020/06/leadnon-lead-wire-size-to-hook.html

ultra wire sizes

http://flytyingnewandold.blogspot.com/2011/09/ultra-wire-diameters.html

[Sandan 0]

4 hours ago, flytire said:

if this is so can this be substituted for the lead wire ? 

yes, copper wire can be used as weight on flies. they just wont be as heavy as flies using lead wire

and in a pinch, lead wire could be used as ribbing on flies and as a body material

True but those are the exceptions to "the rule", yes?

[niveker 0]

Well, I would say that wire's not a a substitute for lead because of the difference in densities, but I do use it  to weight flies.  

[Maverick262 0]

5 hours ago, flytire said:

if this is so can this be substituted for the lead wire ? 

yes, copper wire can be used as weight on flies. they just wont be as heavy as flies using lead wire

example 

and in a pinch, lead wire could be used as ribbing on flies and as a body material

when all else fails fly pattern

 

lead wire sizes

http://flytyingnewandold.blogspot.com/2020/06/leadnon-lead-wire-size-to-hook.html

ultra wire sizes

http://flytyingnewandold.blogspot.com/2011/09/ultra-wire-diameters.html

 

[Maverick262 0]

I wanted to thank all those who posted. 
The chart links were helpful. I knew that one type was much heavier for weighting down the fly. But I was watching a fly tying video and he was going back and forth with wire types and made it sound interchangeable and I knew one was heavier.  
 

It was helpful to get answers so quickly.  
 

Tight Lines 

[flytire 0]

1 hour ago, Sandan said:

True but those are the exceptions to "the rule", yes?

no! there are no "rules" in fly tying

where is the written "rule" that lead wire can only be used as weight when tying a weighted fly?

recipes suggest lead wire but its not a "rule"